Teddy Afro, a popular singer in Ethiopia, tied the knot with his fiance Amleset Muchie in Addis today. Their wedding ceremony must have been planned to coincide with the annual religious holiday Meskel.

cc facebook.com/tikur.sew.fans

A lot has been said about their relationship, both good and bad, and the two lovebirds have successfully moved on beyond the gossips.

She is taller than him; she dwarfs him. He is shorter. She is more beautiful. He is a sensational singer. He is more popular. He has money. He deserves her. No, no, she is too beautiful for him. He is after her because she is a model. He doesn’t deserve her. He is handsome, but he is not sexy. No, no, she is after him because he is famous and has money. She doesn’t deserve him. She is this. He is that.

The above statements are products of the social media conversations that I read regarding the couple before their wedding. Statements mostly focused on superficial values. I read little about what really bonded the newlyweds, which I believe is love, more than the fame, beauty, or money.

cc sodere.com

It is sad when people focus too much on the less important, MATERIAL STUFF, as if that is the primary source of happiness. Happiness exists in the simplest form. But often we don’t see it since we are searching for material fulfillment or for something that may not even exist, something that is only a pure fantasy.

When you think about it, a shorter man getting married with a tall, elegant, beautiful woman can be a fairy tale by itself. One should not ask for more fantasy story. Sure, Teddy Afro may not be as “tall and sexy” as Hollywood men with whom the commenters compare. But he is not terribly short (and what if he is? His physical appearance obviously didn’t bother Amleset, for she has decided to marry him). And he is destined to be legendary in his own way—by stealing his fans’ hearts.

In any case, the superficial value is not really that important when it comes to marriage or relationship. It is only there for decoration purpose. The personal achievement, the physical beauty, and the wealth can all be lost, but love is what remains in the end. If the bond is not based on love, it will soon or later get broken.

Many young Ethiopians consider Teddy Afro as their role model when it comes to self-discipline in public or private settings. As an Ethiopian celebrity, he mostly presents himself politely in public and he is quite discreet in his private life, though some may disagree with that assessment and may say he is nothing but an arrogant, opportunist commercial artist. In my opinion, as a popular singer, he lives, more or less, a clean lifestyle. I think he is humbler than some of the Ethiopian celebrities I know who appear more pompous with less talent.

One thing certain is that Teddy’s fans are crazy about him and love his songs, and his lyrics are meaningful and political. Many observers say if it were not for the political songs, Teddy would not be this popular, and his fans would not tolerate the “arrogance” his critics mention. His political songs, however, are controversial for many reasons. Some think he exploits public emotions to boost his career. But his supporters appreciate him for including political subjects in his songs, a trade that only few other singers can compete against. Some see him as business savvy who understands the business of commercial music—thus, smartly avoiding the path of “a starving or struggling artist” by singing what people want to hear.

But Teddy Afro’s both supporters and critics can agree that he is one of the few talented singers and song writers who are active in Ethiopia’s music scene today.

The fact Teddy Afro is now married to his girlfriend, instead of going through relationship scandals as most musicians, that sends a positive message to the Ethiopian youth about commitment. But of course it is often easy to give a false image in public while self-indulging in hypocritical adventures behind the curtain—who knew Bob Marley, for example, had seven mistresses (His wife knew, though, but interestingly she tolerated him and remained his official wife. Watch the documentary about his life). So it is up to Teddy to remain true to himself and his fans.

I don’t know much about Amleset, except she is a professional model, to give any reasonable comment. But I would like to believe that Teddy chose her (or she chose him) more for the inner beauty than the outer part everyone is talking about.

The real challenge for both Teddy and Amleset will be surviving the heat of marriage as much as enjoying its blessings. Will he remain committed? Will she remain committed? We shall see!

Sorry but failed to understand the author’s point or the point of this article at all. If this is supposed to be imitating western style tabloid reporting, the writer is visibly very amateur. It does not fit the Ethiopian culture. What a wast of time.

Leave Teddy alone. Teddy is an Ethiopian superstar and role model to all of us. He is the Tilahun Gessese of our generation! He is no foreigner or mckael jackson. Leave that compassion to you and your late drinking friends. Leave the Ethiopian hero alone! Thank you!

Thank you for your comment, “Ethiopia,” minus the uncalled-for insult.

“He is no foreigner or mckael jackson.” … The article doesn’t state he is.

I would have agreed with you concerning the MJ reference had Teddy wed entirely the traditional Ethiopian way. But please tell me how the Western style wedding gown, suit, or the convertible car “fits Ethiopian culture?” Also I mentioned MJ to give a relative picture to readers who are not from Ethiopia, readers who may know nothing about Tilahun.

And, FYI, this is a blog, i.e., citizen media. So as a citizen, of Ethiopia, despite my flaws and as long as I break no law, I have every right to express my opinion on any topic—just as you have the right to criticize or disagree with it. And what if I am not Ethiopian? It is not up to you to tell me what I can or cannot write about Ethiopia. You have no authority.

Elyas, u got the point!! This is the problem you gonna experience every time when you want to express your view from different angle. Most of the time, some Ethiopians are unable to express their views explicitly and they ultimately start comparing and insulting others on social media. I guess, it is lack of understanding the whole point of social network. As you said there is no obligation to agree/disagree b/c someone has a different view about something. It seems to me it is poor knowledge and unable to convince or electrify someone.

Reply to Ethiopia: First of all, I don’t think you understood the whole point of the article. I will shortly make my point so please bear with me :). But before I proceed, I would like to correct the use of ‘amateur’. This name, in my opinion, should be given to a blogger who copies content without acknowledging sources, thus it is a wrong accusation to this article specifically because everyone can understand that this is a good analysis and has a great message to share, something you won’t find in many news media these days. Now let us review this article and your comment briefly, if and only if your comment has a point. :)

1. “if this is supposed to be imitating western style tabloid reporting, the writer is visibly very amateur”:

This statement has a big problem because it commits a fallacy because it is assuming that a claim is true and has not been proven true. If you read the article again, you will find important sentences such as: “….I believe Teddy Afro is a role model for young Ethiopians when it comes to self-discipline in public or private.”…”It is sad when people focus too much on the less important, MATERIAL STUFF as if that is the primary source of happiness. Happiness exists in the simplest form. “- both sentences show, in their own different ways that, the respected value and the bigger message is for Ethiopians by discussing one Ethiopian icon. The message is clear here, and thus I failed to see your point regarding ‘imitating western style tabloid reporting, thus it does not fit Ethiopian culture’. For your surprise, this is the exact point why it fits Ethiopian culture since the message is loud and clear, that beyond today’s event for Tedi and his wife, marriage, commitment, love has greater value in our society.

2. “Leave Teddy alone”

hmmmm well, I don’t think the writer wants to marry the guy or adopt him as his kid, of course he will leave him alone :) Again, you have failed. In my opinion, the message is beyond the legacy of Tedi Afro, or his music life or his work in particular. If you read carefully, you would spot this one: “..A lot has been said about their relationship, both good and bad, and the two lovebirds have successfully moved on beyond the gossips.” and then it states list of what has been said. I think it is best to say ‘leave him alone’ for those people, sites, blogs, medias with those statements. Clearly, you have failed to observe the idea behind it and the fact that this marriage should be seen in the light of prospects, and potentially insightful for our young generation, particularly for those who look up to Tedi as role model.

3. “Teddy is an Ethiopian superstar and role model to all of us. He is the Tilahun Gessese of our generation! He is no foreigner or mckael jackson. ”

This is interesting. The writer gave his general opinion, and it is a pity to miss the point that in any part of the sentence the sentiment you’ve for Teddy has not been denied, thus your fast-paced criticism fails to understand the bigger picture.

**My Message**: Let us read, interpret, analyze and give constructive feedback accordingly. But let us not ‘partly’ read the lines that catch our eyes and fire back. At the end of the day, this kind of social media can be utilized best when we understand and respect the purpose of sharing opinion and criticism to grow together. Peace!

Thank you Redi for your response! :) I appreciate the fact you took your time to help “Ethiopia” see the point. :D I totally agree with your message:

“Let us read, interpret, analyze and give constructive feedback accordingly. But let us not ‘partly’ read the lines that catch our eyes and fire back. At the end of the day, this kind of social media can be utilized best when we understand and respect the purpose of sharing opinion and criticism to grow together. Peace!”

In reply to Redi: This must be a great lesson for anyone who generalizes someone’s thought by collective or prevalent understanding. Your comment helps me to see things cleverly. You are rational and critical thinker. In fact, it is hard to deny your academia guru.

Dear Ethiopia: you have a lack of understanding. I presume the article above is very straight forward and simple article about the artist, however, you have contemptuous attitude toward Westerners. No one can reach to the world pop star Michel Jackson, let alone Teddy Afro, who is too proud with his money. Let’s talk about fact: Whether Teddy Afro or Tilahun Gessese (R.I.P), what have they done during their time, apart from running their business and making money, compared with M.J.? Do they have any charity foundation to support their country besides being called celebrity? They are greedy, crooks!!!

Thanks for the article. Unfortunately due to her beauty pageant background she is often reduced to her looks only. But more important is that Amleset has a bachelor degree in journalism from Unity University College and is a graduate of the New York Film Academy. She has founded a film and advertising company in 2006 http://www.mayafilmsproduction.com and produced documentaries, commercials as well as a movie which was quite successful in Ethiopia. She is also currently working on a documentary about our dear President. I think she is underrated and I am sure she will make her way.